Coordinator of Hayaqve initiative accusing Yerevan Municipality of attempts to torpedo referendum on Artsakh

ArmInfo. Avetik Chalabyan, Coordinator of the Hayaqve initiative is accusing the Yerevan  Municipality of attempts to torpedo a referendum on Artsakh.  

At his press conference on June 26, Chalabyan said that despite the  fact that on June 20 the CEC of the Republic of Armenia registered  the Hayakve initiative, giving it a legally binding character, the  current ruling regime once again decided to demonstrate its  illegality, trying to undermine the fundamental right of the people  to exercise their power through a referendum.

According to him, in particular, a number of heads of the  administrative districts of Yerevan, "referring to the illegally  acting mayor of Yerevan Levon Hovhannisyan, in their official letters  last week refused to provide them with premises to organize the  collection of signatures."

"Although this is an imperative requirement of the law" On a  referendum "and their constitutional duty. In fact, on the one hand,  dictator Aliyev seizes the basic rights of the people of Artsakh, and  on the other hand, his civilized partner Pashinyan, through his  proteges, seizes the legitimate, fundamental rights of the residents  of Yerevan. Therefore, we are dealing with both external and internal  hostile actions against the Armenian people," he said.

Chalabyan noted that the initiative group has already filed a crime  statement with the Prosecutor General's Office against all those  officials who are trying to encroach on the inalienable rights of the  Armenian people.

In this vein, he recalled that Article 10 of the Law on Referendum  stipulates that for this purpose, the collection of signatures is  carried out on the territory of local governments, which are obliged  to provide premises.

"By blatantly obstructing Hayaqve, this regime is making it an  inevitable political process, showing its misgivings. The current  authorities do not even want to wait until the bill is submitted to  the National Assembly and put to a vote, because they clearly fear  that the National Assembly may also be " for "voting on the bill,"  Chalabyan added, noting that they will continue to fight by all legal  means.

In conclusion, he called on the representatives of the Yerevan  Municipality to return to the field of legality, remove all illegal  obstacles that restrict the fundamental rights of citizens, and  ensure the uninterrupted process of "Hayaqve".

The Yerevan Municipality has already reacted to this statement by  Chalabyan, calling it, in fact, groundless.

"During today's press conference, the coordinator of the Hayaqe  initiative, Avetik Chalabyan, stated that "a number of heads of the  administrative districts of Yerevan, referring to the Acting Mayor of  Yerevan Levon Hovhannisyan, refused to provide areas for collecting  signatures." In particular, we are talking about the administrative  districts of the capital Avan, Nor Nork, Kentron, Nubarashen and  Ajapnyak Yerevan Municipality states that Chalabyan's statement is a  distortion of facts, since the representatives of the administrative  districts did not refuse to provide space to the initiative, but,  pointing to the separation of powers, suggested that they apply to  the Yerevan Municipality with a request to obtain the appropriate  permission. We are sure that Chalabyan mistakenly regarded this  proposal as a refusal," the Yerevan City Hall noted.

In turn, political scientist, Azerbaijani scholar Anzhela Elibegova,  reacting to what is happening around the initiative, noted that what  is happening around the Hayaqve initiative is the dream of any  dictator.

"The Central Electoral Commission adopts an application, deadlines  for collecting signatures are set, the municipal authorities say  well, but we will not provide premises, go as you like, use your  civil rights. And it does not matter that they are obliged to ensure  this by law. In essence, they say that the Constitution is for we are  not the basis, as they say in the mayor's office of Yerevan, it will  be so. Here it is a bastion of democracy. Here are the statements  that the people are solving the Artsakh issue. Power belongs to the  people," she summed up.

As ArmInfo previously reported, on June 20 the Central Electoral  Commission (CEC) of the Republic of Armenia approved the application  of the "Aiakwe" initiative group to organize the collection of  signatures of 50,000 signatures and submit a legislative initiative  to the National Assembly. A 60-day period has been set for collecting  signatures - from June 21 to August 19, 2023.

The initiative group filed a corresponding application with the  Central Election Commission of Armenia on June 12, in which it came  up with an initiative to change the legislation, which provided for  severe punishment for refusing self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh  and belittling the significance of the Armenian Genocide.

After the CEC session, Aram Petrosyan, a representative of the  Hayaqve initiative group, told reporters that most likely the  collection of signatures will start in three days. "We will appeal to  the heads of the communities, who within three days must provide us  with territories for the collection of signatures," Petrosyan said,  adding that this is the reason for the fact that he cannot name the  exact date for the collection of signatures.

At the same time, Petrosyan noted that they plan to appoint permanent  representatives of the initiative throughout Yerevan, as well as in  Gyumri, Vanadzor and Kapan.